Lynx AH Mk7

The Lynx was produced under the Anglo-French helicopter agreement of 1967. Several version of the helicopter, including a naval version have since been developed and deployed. The Lynx AH Mk7 flown by the Army Air Corps was Britain's primary anti-tank helicopter for decades, a role now being taken over by the WAH-64D Apache Longbow.

When used in the utility role, Lynx AH Mk7s can carry up to nine troops, often Milan anti-tank teams, or 1350kg of external stores attached to a sling. 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns can be fitted to the cabins and manned by door gunners. A range of weapon systems such as 20mm cannons and rocket pods have been tested on the Lynx airframe but these are rarely used.

In the anti-tank role, the AH Mk7 carries 8 FITOW (further Improved TOW) wire-guided missiles on 2x4-tube racks on hardpoints attached to the fuselage. The FITOW has a dual-mode target sensor and two downward-firing self-forging warheads and can be fired in top attack mode - flying in a high arc to strike down through a tank's softer upper armor.

Lynx AH Mk7 - when not carrying TOW anti-tank missiles, L7 GPMG door guns are used to provide cover during insertion and extraction.

LYNX AH7 FEATURES

wire-strike protection system
infra-red exhaust suppressors reduce the Lynx's heat signature
semi-rigid main rotor assembly allows for improved handling and stability
composite clockwise-rotating tail rotor
skids allow for takeoff/ landing on soft surfaces
fully aerobatic - full barrel-rolls and loop-de-loops are possible

Lynx AH7s carry up to 8 FITOW anti-tank missiles.

Lynx AH7 Specifications

The Lynx's roof-top TOW sight is built by Raytheon (formerly Hughes). The co-pilot/gunner can use the infra-red sight to acquire targets up to 3.7km away.

Crew	2 - Pilot, Co-pilot
Engines	2x Rolls Royce Gem-42-1 1,120hp turboshaft engines
Dimensions	L - 12.06m W (rotorspan) - 12.8m H - 3.66m
Weights	2,787 kg (empty) 4,354 kg (max loadout)
Max Speed	259 kph
Range	630 km
Armament	8xFurther-Improved TOW (FITOW) anti-tank missiles
Avionics	BAE Systems mk 34 automatic flight control system BAE Systems automatic stabilizer Racal Doppler 91 Honeywell AN/APN-198 radar altimeter Rockwell Collins 206A automatic direction finder BAE GMM9 Gyrosyn compass, Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Rockwell Collins VIR 31A VHF Omni-directional Ranger Instrument Landing System (VOR/ILS), AN/ARN-118 Tactical Air Navigation system (TACAN) AN/ALQ-144 BAE AWARE-3 ARI 23491 radar warning receiver Sky Guardian mk15 electronic warfare system Raytheon TOW sight

Lynx AH7 with 8xFITOW anti-tank missiles.